Apr 05, 2026 12:00pm IST
‘XO, Kitty’ Season 3 Gives ‘MoonCovey’, Chaotic Friendships and a Perfect Binge
“XO, Kitty,” the spinoff to Netflix’s “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” film franchise, is the most bingeable and fluffy show ever. But its Season 3 wasn't exactly a comfort watch. Because every other minute, I was shaking my fist at the bad (and often repetitive) choices its teen characters were making in their friendships and love lives! And yet, Anna Cathcart’s undeniable Kitty Song Covey, her banterful chemistry with Sang Heon Lee’s irresistible Min Ho Moon and some cute Korean fashion had me grinning like a fool, bingeing all eight episodes in one go.
The new season picks up right where we left off in Season 2. And though Kitty doesn't join Min Ho on the entire world tour, she does get one dreamy night aboard a cruise ship that leads to a spectacular first kiss for MoonCovey. Everything about the scene, from Min Ho’s hair to Kitty’s knockout, lit-up red dress, made for a perfect moment. As a MoonCovey shipper, “XO, Kitty” season 3 starts as exactly what we’ve been hoping for. But it’s what happens after their kiss, and their return to KISS (Korean Independent School of Seoul), that could’ve been done better.
For one, there isn’t enough of Kitty and Min Ho together before they’re pulled apart by the usual jealousy trope, which, TBH, needs to retire. Writing Kitty as insecure and unsure of herself feels at odds with the character we know and love. On the other hand, Lee’s measured performance during their breakup gave angst and yearning, but also a maturity of knowing oneself and what will or won't be good for them. Min Ho easily has the best arc in the series, alongside Ryu Han-bi's K-Pop star Eunice. She lays bare the destructive power of fame at a young age. Sadly, our Kitty is third on the list because of the writing.
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If I could sum up “XO, Kitty” Season 3 in one word, it would be “parallels," which have always been a theme in this series. Season 1 was Kitty and her mother. Season 2 hinted at Kitty and Min Ho as endgame by drawing parallels with Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). But Season 3 doubles down on those parallels by bringing in Lana Condor’s Lara Jean into the mix, and giving her problems that mirror Kitty’s. It would’ve been a tad more effective if it hadn’t been used as a touch-and-go plot device to force the parallel.
Season 3 has major callbacks to "TATBILB," like the aquarium scene where Kitty and Min Ho have a moment and Ashe’s "Moral of the Story" plays, as it did for Peter and LJ when they broke up in “PS I Still Love You.” When Min Ho finally tells Kitty those three magical words, her reaction is the same as LJ’s to Peter: “You what?” It’s all cute and fan service, until you realize the rest of the characters, too, are doomed to repeat plots from past seasons, blaming Kitty when things go wrong.
The arcs for Kitty's cousin Jiwon (Hojo Shin), now a teacher at KISS, and Alex (Peter Thurnwald) feel forced. Other than Chuseok and a couple more scenes, the grandmother is barely in the picture, and neither is Kitty learning more about her Korean heritage. Kitty's friend Q (Anthony Keyvan) just can't catch a break with his love life, as his old roommate and hookup, Marius (Sule Thelwell), returns and gets a frenemy arc.
This show doesn't handle the passage of time all that well, which makes these characters' jumping from one relationship to another feel jarring. At least, Yuri (Gia Kim) gets a slightly interesting riches-to-rags arc. But the writers have no clue what to do with characters like Juliana (Regan Aliyah), Dae (Choi Min-yeong) and Alex, who are stuck in some karmic loop in their love lives. The most cursed is Praveena (Sasha Bhasin), reduced to a joke so pitiful that someone needs to be sent to writer jail!
And yet, there's something about "XO, Kitty" that is endearing and keeps you emotionally invested. Kitty’s sunset list for her senior year makes you nostalgic. Season 3 ends with a beautiful original song that makes you mushy. Emotions soar during scenes where the friend group, despite their follies, comes together to help or celebrate each other. In this time of hyper-individualism, it's a reminder that relationships are "inconvenient" and real friends are nosy and interfering so they can ultimately be there for you.
"XO, Kitty" Season 4 is not yet confirmed. But the K-Drama-inspired color palette, its heroine's sunny optimism and the promise of a corny, cheesy romance between its hot leads ensure we’d all return for an encore.
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